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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
As the sun set, the desert wasteland glowed an eerie red.
Write a story about a festive neighborhood battle between one family who loves Halloween and another family who loves Christmas.
You are the only person who has to go into work on a public holiday.
Many action movies involve the hero jumping into a vehicle and demanding the driver to "follow that car!" Write from the perspective of the driver.
Write a book with anthromorpohized characters.
You meet someone who's different from you. Write a story about how you become friends.
You were sitting on a park bench, enjoying the sun, when a stranger sat next to you and started typing on an old fashioned typewriter.
Write a story about pumpkin picking… in the middle of a storm.
Write about what you want to be in the future, whether that's in terms of personality, goals, or career.
Write a story about two costume shops who try to outdo each other with bigger and crazier costumes each Halloween.
Petals fall to the ground as someone picks apart a flower and says, "they love me, they love me not."
While on a leisurely stroll through the forest, you find strange footprints. Do you follow them?
Write a story that's entirely set in the cafeteria.
You are a Nobel Prize Winner, on your way to the awards ceremony. Suddenly, you are transported back in time.
Write a story in which a Christmas song plays an important role in the plot.
Write about a time when you tried something unfamiliar.
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